Run, Flag-Raising, Memorial Wall Commemorates 9/11 Heroes

LUTZ, FL — Eighteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the impact of that day continues to reverberate around the country including with Pasco County residents like Chris Casella, who retired from the New York City Police Department and now serves as president of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon.

To commemorate the event, Casella and fellow member of the Rotary Club hosted a commemoration in cooperation with Tampa Premium Outlets hosted a ceremony to dedicate a memorial mural dedicated to local 9/11 heroes in the food court at the shopping center on State Road 56.

The commemoration began with what the Rotary Club plans to make an annual event - a 9/11 Memorial Mile 1-mile walk/run at 7:30 a.m. followed by the dedication ceremony that included the raising of a giant American flag by Pasco County firefighters using a ladder truck. Proceeds from the 9/11 Memorial Mile will go to Pasco County students pursuing careers as first-responders.

Attending the dedication were Pasco County Commissioners Mike Wells, Mike Moore and Jack Mariano, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and was Penelope Bastidas, whose husband died from 9/11-related cancer just two years ago.